Panel 28: Responding to Environmental and Social Change - Assessing the Adaptation Capacity of African International River and Lake Basin Organizations

In Africa, water resources and their management are facing increasing challenges due to socio-economic transformations leading to greater water demands by households and industries. These developments are accelerated by the impacts of global climate change. Although most African states contribute very little to the causes of global climate change, they are already bearing a great deal of the cost. One of the major impacts of global climate change can be seen in transboundary water systems in form of lakes and rivers which face decreasing water levels as well as an increasing number and intensity of drought and flood events. Due to the transboundary nature of these waters, many states have established cross-border cooperation in form of River/Lake Basin Organizations (RLBO). It is though not the mere existence of such RLBOs that defines whether climate and societal induced water resource changes can be managed effectively, but the ability of such institutions to adapt to external changes in the river basin while maintaining effective water management. This panel intends to present institutional mechanisms and management tools that have been implemented in African RLBOs to meet these challenges and ask the question whether these adaptive measures can serve as models for other RLBOs around the world. The panel will include case studies from different African river and lake basins investigating the diverse adaptive approaches to meet environmental and social changes including flexible treaty provisions, water allocation mechanisms, and early warning or dispute settlement provisions.